2 Maccabees 7

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 It also happened that seven brothers were arrested with their mother. The king tried to force them totaste some pork, which the Law forbids, by torturing them with whips and scourges.	1 It also happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested and tortured with whips and scourges by the king, to force them to eat pork in violation of God's law.
2 One of them, acting as spokesman for the others, said, 'What are you trying to find out from us? Weare prepared to die rather than break the laws of our ancestors.'	2 One of the brothers, speaking for the others, said: "What do you expect to achieve by questioning us? We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors."
3 The king, in a fury, ordered pans and cauldrons to be heated over a fire.	3 At that the king, in a fury, gave orders to have pans and caldrons heated.
4 As soon as these were red-hot, he commanded that their spokesman should have his tongue cut out,his head scalped and his extremities cut off, while the other brothers and his mother looked on.	4 While they were being quickly heated, he commanded his executioners to cut out the tongue of the one who had spoken for the others, to scalp him and cut off his hands and feet, while the rest of his brothers and his mother looked on.
5 When he had been rendered completely helpless, the king gave orders for him to be brought, stilbreathing, to the fire and fried alive in a pan. As the smoke from the pan drifted about, his mother and the restencouraged one another to die nobly, with such words as these,	5 When he was completely maimed but still breathing, the king ordered them to carry him to the fire and fry him. As a cloud of smoke spread from the pan, the brothers and their mother encouraged one another to die bravely, saying such words as these:
6 'The Lord God is watching and certainly feels sorry for us, as Moses declared in his song, which clearlystates that "he wil take pity on his servants." '	6 "The Lord God is looking on, and he truly has compassion on us, as Moses declared in his canticle, when he protested openly with the words, 'And he will have pity on his servants.'"
7 When the first had left the world in this way, they brought the second forward to be tortured. Afterstripping the skin from his head, hair and al , they asked him, 'Wil you eat some pork, before your body istortured limb by limb?'	7 When the first brother had died in this manner, they brought the second to be made sport of. After tearing off the skin and hair of his head, they asked him, "Will you eat the pork rather than have your body tortured limb by limb?"
8 Replying in his ancestral tongue, he said, 'No!' So he too was put to the torture in his turn.	8 Answering in the language of his forefathers, he said, "Never!" So he too in turn suffered the same tortures as the first.
9 With his last breath he exclaimed, 'Cruel brute, you may discharge us from this present life, but theKing of the world wil raise us up, since we die for his laws, to live again for ever.'	9 At the point of death he said: "You accursed fiend, you are depriving us of this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up to live again forever. It is for his laws that we are dying."
10 After him, they tortured the third, who on being asked for his tongue promptly thrust it out and boldlyheld out his hands,	10 After him the third suffered their cruel sport. He put out his tongue at once when told to do so, and bravely held out his hands,
11 courageously saying, 'Heaven gave me these limbs; for the sake of his laws I have no concern forthem; from him I hope to receive them again.'	11 as he spoke these noble words: "It was from Heaven that I received these; for the sake of his laws I disdain them; from him I hope to receive them again."
12 The king and his attendants were astounded at the young man's courage and his utter indifference tosuffering.	12 Even the king and his attendants marveled at the young man's courage, because he regarded his sufferings as nothing.
13 When this one was dead they subjected the fourth to the same torments and tortures.	13 After he had died, they tortured and maltreated the fourth brother in the same way.
14 When he neared his end he cried, 'Ours is the better choice, to meet death at men's hands, yet relyingon God's promise that we shal be raised up by him; whereas for you there can be no resurrection to new life.'	14 When he was near death, he said, "It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the God-given hope of being restored to life by him; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life."
15 Next they brought forward the fifth and began torturing him.	15 They next brought forward the fifth brother and maltreated him. Looking at the king,
16 But he looked at the king and said, 'You have power over human beings, mortal as you are, and canact as you please. But do not think that our race has been deserted by God.	16 he said: "Since you have power among men, mortal though you are, do what you please. But do not think that our nation is forsaken by God.
17 Only wait, and you wil see in your turn how his mighty power wil torment you and your descendants.'	17 Only wait, and you will see how his great power will torment you and your descendants."
18 After him, they led out the sixth, and his dying words were these, 'Do not delude yourself: we aresuffering like this through our own fault, having sinned against our own God; hence, appal ing things havebefal en us-	18 After him they brought the sixth brother. When he was about to die, he said: "Have no vain illusions. We suffer these things on our own account, because we have sinned against our God; that is why such astonishing things have happened to us.
19 but do not think you yourself wil go unpunished for attempting to make war on God.'	19 Do not think, then, that you will go unpunished for having dared to fight against God."
20 But the mother was especial y admirable and worthy of honourable remembrance, for she watchedthe death of seven sons in the course of a single day, and bravely endured it because of her hopes in the Lord.	20 Most admirable and worthy of everlasting remembrance was the mother, who saw her seven sons perish in a single day, yet bore it courageously because of her hope in the Lord.
21 Indeed she encouraged each of them in their ancestral tongue; fil ed with noble conviction, shereinforced her womanly argument with manly courage, saying to them,	21 Filled with a noble spirit that stirred her womanly heart with manly courage, she exhorted each of them in the language of their forefathers with these words:
22 'I do not know how you appeared in my womb; it was not I who endowed you with breath and life, Ihad not the shaping of your every part.	22 "I do not know how you came into existence in my womb; it was not I who gave you the breath of life, nor was it I who set in order the elements of which each of you is composed.
23 And hence, the Creator of the world, who made everyone and ordained the origin of al things, wil inhis mercy give you back breath and life, since for the sake of his laws you have no concern for yourselves.'	23 Therefore, since it is the Creator of the universe who shapes each man's beginning, as he brings about the origin of everything, he, in his mercy, will give you back both breath and life, because you now disregard yourselves for the sake of his law." Martyrdom of Mother and Sons
24 Antiochus thought he was being ridiculed, suspecting insult in the tone of her voice; and as theyoungest was still alive he appealed to him not with mere words but with promises on oath to make him both richand happy if he would abandon the traditions of his ancestors; he would make him his Friend and entrust himwith public office.	24 Antiochus, suspecting insult in her words, thought he was being ridiculed. As the youngest brother was still alive, the king appealed to him, not with mere words, but with promises on oath, to make him rich and happy if he would abandon his ancestral customs: he would make him his Friend and entrust him with high office.
25 The young man took no notice at al , and so the king then appealed to the mother, urging her toadvise the youth to save his life.	25 When the youth paid no attention to him at all, the king appealed to the mother, urging her to advise her boy to save his life.
26 After a great deal of urging on his part she agreed to try persuasion on her son.	26 After he had urged her for a long time, she went through the motions of persuading her son.
27 Bending over him, she fooled the cruel tyrant with these words, uttered in their ancestral tongue, 'Myson, have pity on me; I carried you nine months in my womb and suckled you three years, fed you and rearedyou to the age you are now, and provided for you.	27 In derision of the cruel tyrant, she leaned over close to her son and said in their native language: "Son, have pity on me, who carried you in my womb for nine months, nursed you for three years, brought you up, educated and supported you to your present age.
28 I implore you, my child, look at the earth and sky and everything in them, and consider how God madethem out of what did not exist, and that human beings come into being in the same way.	28 I beg you, child, to look at the heavens and the earth and see all that is in them; then you will know that God did not make them out of existing things; and in the same way the human race came into existence.
29 Do not fear this executioner, but prove yourself worthy of your brothers and accept death, so that Imay receive you back with them in the day of mercy.'	29 Do not be afraid of this executioner, but be worthy of your brothers and accept death, so that in the time of mercy I may receive you again with them."
30 She had hardly finished, when the young man said, 'What are you all waiting for? I wil not complywith the king's ordinance; I obey the ordinance of the Law given to our ancestors through Moses.	30 She had scarcely finished speaking when the youth said: "What are you waiting for? I will not obey the king's command. I obey the command of the law given to our forefathers through Moses.
31 As for you, who have contrived every kind of evil against the Hebrews, you wil certainly not escapethe hands of God.	31 But you, who have contrived every kind of affliction for the Hebrews, will not escape the hands of God.
32 We are suffering for our own sins;	32 We, indeed, are suffering because of our sins.
33 and if, to punish and discipline us, our living Lord is briefly angry with us, he wil be reconciled with usin due course.	33 Though our living Lord treats us harshly for a little while to correct us with chastisements, he will again be reconciled with his servants.
34 But you, unholy wretch and wickedest of vil ains, what cause have you for pride, nourishing vainhopes and raising your hand against his servants? -	34 But you, wretch, vilest of all men! do not, in your insolence, concern yourself with unfounded hopes, as you raise your hand against the children of Heaven.
35 for you have not yet escaped the judgement of God the almighty, the al -seeing.	35 You have not yet escaped the judgment of the almighty and all-seeing God.
36 Our brothers, having endured brief pain, for the sake of ever-flowing life have died for the covenant ofGod, while you, by God's judgement, wil have to pay the just penalty for your arrogance.	36 My brothers, after enduring brief pain, have drunk of never-failing life, under God's covenant, but you, by the judgment of God, shall receive just punishments for your arrogance.
37 I too, like my brothers, surrender my body and life for the laws of my ancestors, begging God quicklyto take pity on our nation, and by trials and afflictions to bring you to confess that he alone is God,	37 Like my brothers, I offer up my body and my life for our ancestral laws, imploring God to show mercy soon to our nation, and by afflictions and blows to make you confess that he alone is God.
38 so that with my brothers and myself there may be an end to the wrath of the Almighty, rightly let looseon our whole nation.'	38 Through me and my brothers, may there be an end to the wrath of the Almighty that has justly fallen on our whole nation."
39 The king fel into a rage and treated this one more cruel y than the others, for he was himself smartingfrom the young man's scorn.	39 At that, the king became enraged and treated him even worse than the others, since he bitterly resented the boy's contempt.
40 And so the last brother met his end undefiled and with perfect trust in the Lord.	40 Thus he too died undefiled, putting all his trust in the Lord.
41 The mother was the last to die, after her sons.	41 The mother was last to die, after her sons.
42 But let this be sufficient account of the ritual meals and monstrous tortures.	42 Enough has been said about the sacrificial meals and the excessive cruelties.